PSP vs DS in the area of graphics

[Kommet99]

Seems that nintendo will have to make some pretty fun games if they want to even stand a chance

DS
PSP

 

[MisterChief]

PSP kicks the DS's arse. There's no point in investing in a DS at this point, seeing that the PSP release date is coming.

 

[PurdueRy]

nintendo is supposedly suppose to have a true successor to Game boy coming out. Whether thats true or not I don't know. I am not buying either of these, the DS I think is an awful Idea and the Sony is too $$$

 

[MisterChief]

Originally posted by: rleemhui
nintendo is supposedly suppose to have a true successor to Game boy coming out. Whether thats true or not I don't know. I am not buying either of these, the DS I think is an awful Idea and the Sony is too $$$

Come on now, do you really think the PSP is that bad?

 

[batmanuel]

Originally posted by: rleemhui
nintendo is supposedly suppose to have a true successor to Game boy coming out. Whether thats true or not I don't know. I am not buying either of these, the DS I think is an awful Idea and the Sony is too $$$

I was kind of leery about the DS, but Wario Touched puts the touch screen to great use. If more game developers figure out how to use the screen well, the DS might not be a bad system after all.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: MisterChief

Originally posted by: rleemhui
nintendo is supposedly suppose to have a true successor to Game boy coming out. Whether thats true or not I don't know. I am not buying either of these, the DS I think is an awful Idea and the Sony is too $$$

Come on now, do you really think the PSP is that bad?

No, I just don't think its $249.99 or whatever good

 

[KoolDrew]

The Ds is terrible. At first I thought that touch screen idea would be cool, but then I actually used the thing. There is no competition between the PSP and DS IMO. I would much rather have PS2 graphics then N64 graphics.

 

[DarkKnight]

I think the DS is dead. There are only about 13 DS games out (not including older gameboy games) while the PSP launch will come with over 20. Its no contest.

 

[BenSkywalker]

They are actually very different machines- I certainly wouldn't say the DS is dead. One of the big selling points of the DS is going to be the full PDA functionality(email, scheduling software, handwriting recognition software) while one of the PSP's big selling points will be its' media playback capabilities(music, movies etc).

As a gaming machine, the PSP has serious issues with battery life. No handheld has stood a chance in the market with a battery lifetime of under six hours, and the PSP has trouble hitting half of that sometimes.

I already have my PSP ordered- I'll be picking it up on launch day but I'm far more interested in its media playback capabilities then as a gaming machine. It doesn't have close to enough battery life to be seriously considered a gaming machine except in a pinch. I'll probably pick up GT4 to go along with it at launch just to check out the game capabilities of it compared to the PS2, but I'm watching the UMD movie release schedule a lot closer then the gaming release schedule for it(and waiting for some 2GB mem options to be priced reasonably).

 

[fulger]

The thing is that the PSP is really nice and everything but it's battery life is way way way to sort I mean when you turn max volume out,wireless multi play, full screen lighting and a game like ridge racer youll prolly get like an hour and 30 minutes of playtime. And you have to think about this ridge racer is there first demanding game so in the future theyll have more demanding games which will probably drop the battery life down to about 45 minutes mostlikeley. If it had like about a 16 battery life just like my h320 then thatd be awesome i'd get one rite away.( Oh and the psp graphics are way way better then the ds'es)

 

[ponyo]

I preordered PSP online for overnight delivery and looking forward to its release. I don't currently have plans to buy any games as none of the games interest me and the $50 price for games is rather steep. Like Ben I'm more interested in the media playback capabilities and plan to use it to watch converted movies and pictures off of memory sticks. Since 2GB memory sticks are currently pretty pricy, I'll likely pick up 1gb stick which goes for around $115 or so. Still too expensive but hopefully memory stick prices will come down as volume sales increase.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Revision 2 of the PSP will be the one to get (when it exists) -- if they can do the usual trick of shrinking the CPU and integrating other parts to reduce power usage, and perhaps use the saved space to put in a stronger battery.

I've yet to see anything for the DS that looks like more than a gimmick. Right now if I were buying a handheld it would probably just be a GBA SP.

 

[ribbon13]

use the cash to get a better laptop and emulate.

 

[stickybytes]

the last time i heard, both the DS and the PSP sold like hotcakes in japan.

the launch titles for the DS was weak and that's putting it generously. it will be PSP for me if it has acceptable battery life and it doesn't break on me 6 months into use like some other sony products i have used.

 

[akugami]

PSP may look nice but most of the games on it seems to be pretty much ports of existing games. Some of those games are coming to the DS as well. I have had bad experiences with the PSX as well as the PS2 on first gen hardware. Now, I do plan to get a PSP eventually until revision 2.

Those saying the DS has only about 13 games, you're forgetting there are some pretty decent new games out for the Gameboy Advanced that is compatible with the DS. Overall, I think graphics will be less of a factor in the portable business. Let's face it, the first gen of games for the DS were mostly ports of N64 games or games that don't require a lot of graphical power. I think the games that are suppose to be out near the end of 2005 will be the ones that will really show off the DS's graphical prowess.

Looking at the screencaps of the game Another Code and playing through the demo of Metroid: Prime Hunters and you can see that while it's not PSP in graphical prowess the DS is actually able to output some very nice visuals. I also looked over the screenshots of Spiderman2 and Need For Speed. The PSP versions of course look a lot better but if you look at the DS versions they aren't too bad. Yes, they are by no means as visually appealing as the PSP versions but they aren't terrible looking either.

I think someone who is enterprising can make a hard drive based divx/mp3 player for the DS that is plugged in through one of the cartridge ports. They can probably make a killing off of it. Which brings me to the fact that the PSP is trying to be the jack of all trades in the portable arena. I think it will flop as a primary mp3 player as well as a portable video player. That's not to say that people won't listen to the occasional song or anyting on the PSP but it's just not going to replace the iPod or any other decent mp3 player. On the portable video front, he movies are suppose to be priced the same as DVD's. THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I'M PAYING FULL DVD PRICES FOR PSP MOVIES THAT I ALREADY OWN ON DVD. I think that sentence says it all. I don't buy 90% of the DVD's released out there because most movies made are crap. What makes Sony think I will be paying full price for a low resolution copy of a movie I already own. Why shouldn't I just buy a HD based mp3 player that supports divx playback and watch it on that? Sure, the quality is not going to be as good due to the lower resolution screens on all of those HD based mp3 players compared to the PSP but at least you won't be double paying for movies.

In the end, I think it all comes down to the games.

 

[MournSanity]

Graphics aren't everything. God, kids these days.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: rleemhui
nintendo is supposedly suppose to have a true successor to Game boy coming out. Whether thats true or not I don't know. I am not buying either of these, the DS I think is an awful Idea and the Sony is too $$$

How many times have we heard that? Gameboy, gamboy color, gameboy advance, DS, blah blah blah. Nintendo should go back to card games or hire some new talent.

 

[BenSkywalker]

I think someone who is enterprising can make a hard drive based divx/mp3 player for the DS that is plugged in through one of the cartridge ports. They can probably make a killing off of it.

If Nintendo did this, I wouldn't need to buy a PSP to go along with my DS.

I think it will flop as a primary mp3 player as well as a portable video player. That's not to say that people won't listen to the occasional song or anyting on the PSP but it's just not going to replace the iPod or any other decent mp3 player.

There is nothing close to its price range that can both play movies and mp3s though, particularly not with its screen resolution.

Why shouldn't I just buy a HD based mp3 player that supports divx playback and watch it on that?

You can do that on a PSP using flash mem, without having to worry about the fragile HD. True, once you factor in the cost of buying the memory the cost of the PSP starts getting up there, but even when you add a couple of GBs compared to the HD based mp3 players capable of movie playback the PSP is significantly superior in terms of resolution, screen size and clarity.

In the end, I think it all comes down to the games.

I think that for the early stages of the PSPs lifespan that is what they are going to push, much as the DS is trying to use games right now to sell itself. The corporate direction that Sony and Nintendo are taking with these handhelds steps well outside of games however. For Nintendo they are looking to position the DS as a PDA alternative that can play games, this isn't speculative as they already have trademarked the software for it and have announced their intentions. Given the cost of the DS hardware Nintendo is actually making some cash back on the hardware at the moment, which is something Sony isn't going to be trying to do. For Nintendo, the DS is about expanding out and trying to reach an older demographic, the PSP is far more important to Sony.

For Sony, they are extremely upset that they gave up the portable media market. Given their current market position the only brand name they have that comes close to the reputation they had a couple of decades ago is the PS. Given that Nintendo is the largest threat to them in their home market it makes sense for them to apply some pressure to the one market Nintendo still dominates. The PSP gives them a shot at killing two birds with one stone. First off they have the most powerful handheld system on the market and can offer up games that make the DS's look outdated in comparison. I honestly think this is more of a shorter time leverage point, until the next revision PSP comes out with improved battery life only the hard core Sony fans are going to deal with the battery shortcomings. That said, they should be able to move close to ten million units pushing towards they hard core Sony fans on the gamin prowess before they start their push with UMD media. Given Sony's movies and music division has been second only to Sony gaming in terms of profitability, it makes a decent amount of sense to start leveraging that well of IPs to start to reclaim some of their lost marketshare in the portable media market. I expect that the initial pricing of UMD movies is much like the initial pricing of CDs and DVDs, simply seeing if the market will support them at that price point. If the sales aren't high enough then I wouldn't be shocked to see them halved within a year or so(although they could stay elevated if they sell too well, that's why we still pay ~$20 for a CD after all).

Between movies and music playback if Sony creates a large enough installed base then they could lure some of the other media companies over to start offering their IPs to the platform which would be an enormous victory for Sony. That is getting quite a bit ahead of ourselves, but simply taking a quick look at what Sony is doing with the PSP tech wise it doesn't take long to realize that gaming was far from their only concern on the device. The fact that they have started supporting mp3s on the device and dropped their propietary format should be a good indication that they are quite serious about the market.

In the end, I think odds are the next GameBoy will end up being the best pure gaming platform in terms of handhelds. The DS will make a nice PDA, the PSP will make a nice entertainment device, and the GameBoy will make the best portable gaming device.

 

[RaiderJ]

I think Nintendo is just going to cause a lot of confusion having another Gameboy along with the SP and DS. Too many systems, too many names.... it's like the tail end of Sega with all their hardware (CD, 32X, Nomad, CDX, etc).

Maybe they have something up their sleeve with the Revolution & the new Gameboy. If so, it had better be good. The gaming market has gotten much older and with the release of some decent competition in the PSP they will not be able to have Gameboy sales keep them going.

I personally have wanted to pick up a handheld for some time, to help kill time while travelling since my portable DVD player doesn't always cut it. However, I've always felt the Gameboy were a little childish to be packing around - I'll be curious to see if the PSP changes that.

 

[Malak]

I think you are on to something RaiderJ, with the Sega comparison.

 

[amol]

Originally posted by: hypersonic5
Graphics aren't everything. God, kids these days.

it's a huge part of it, though

it's like how clock speed is part of a processor . . . it's not THE most important thing, but a huge part of it

 

[BenSkywalker]

I think Nintendo is just going to cause a lot of confusion having another Gameboy along with the SP and DS. Too many systems, too many names.... it's like the tail end of Sega with all their hardware (CD, 32X, Nomad, CDX, etc).

You forgot about the Saturn.

As far as Nintendo being comparable to Sega their are a few differences. Globally last year the SP was the best selling gaming machine- that includes outselling the PS2. None of the Sega systems on their downward spiral could ever make that claim. Next, the SP will be phased out when the next GB hits. We aren't going to be looking at three systems fighting for the same gaming dollar. Then, the next GB is going to target the same demographic that is the main focus of the current GB- younger gamers or those who want the simplistic/retro titles to tie them over on trips etc. The DS is targetted at a considerably older audience then either the SP or the PSP- they are going after the PDA replacement crowd. In that market, they are very cheap and offer considerable processing power compared to anything close to its pricepoint. They already have vid playback in the works for it also, I'm just not fond of the direction they are taking with it(they seem to be focusing on half hour to hour long program style media, fitting for the market they are going after).

In all honesty, the handheld gaming market is Nintendo's to lose. Pokemon is still the 800lb gorilla of the handheld market and Sony doesn't appear to have anything that can compete(the Pokemon franchise moved close to ten million units last year alone on a global basis, dwarfing GT and easily besting GTA).

Sony also has staggeringly huge problems with durability- and the fact that they already have a replacement program setup for defective PSPs in Japan(widespread sticking buttons) isn't helping their image there. Younger gamers are what pushed the original GameBoy to the position of best selling gaming platform to date- that demographic and fragile electronics don't go well together. Nintendo's handhelds take an incredible amount of abuse, as a father of four(soon to be five) I've seen the brutal abuse they can take and I don't hesitate to pick a Nintendo handheld up for my kids(my oldest got a launch DS and it already has numerous battle scars without a hiccup)- I won't even think about picking up a PSP for them. It's Sony, they are too fragile.

In my varrious daily reading I've been seeing a lot of ads for the PSP, and the most popular one I've seen states- "Because even your mom has an iPod"- I've yet to see any with a mention of the DS or GB. The PSP is a media device using the Playstation franchise to give it leverage. I am certain that SCE will do everything they can to push the gaming to be as succesful as possible, but they are fighting the 800lb gorilla of the handheld market with a nigh lock on everything they need to continue dominating the market. This isn't like the situation when the PS1 hit, Nintendo had already lost ~40% of the market by that point.

If the PSP is to become a success, which I think it stands a very good chance of doing, it will do so in large part by expanding the market and siphoning sales from other markets(Apple's in particular).

In no way do I mean to slam the PSP here, I'm itching to get it and am pestering my better half about it constantly(she's getting sick of hearing about it by now, trust me ). I'm already planning on dropping annother few hundred bucks upgrading my PSP(headphones, better battery pack, couple GBs of mem), I think the system will rock.